Cleveland Browns: Dear Jabrill Peppers, you’re being a real Braylon Edwards

Jabrill Peppers thinks fans of the Cleveland Browns come down on for being from Michigan. An open letter to the strong safety.

Jabrill Peppers, you’re starting to remind me of someone who was a first-round pick of the Cleveland Browns. He was loaded with talent, but in the end, didn’t produce. Oh yeah, he played collegiately at the University of Michigan.

You’ve probably heard of him. Browns fans won’t forget him–for all the wrong reasons. His name was Braylon Edwards. He was the first thing that popped into my mind when you dragged your career with the Wolverines into the press this past week.

You brought this up during Ravens’ week, stating that you and your family were the subject of verbal abuse while out in public. I don’t doubt you. That stinks.

There’s always a few rogue knuckle heads, but don’t be blinded by the minority.

Fans of the Cleveland Browns couldn’t give a rip if you scored a bazillion touchdowns and beat Ohio State every year if you helped the Browns break free from the 2-33-1 rut we’ve had to endure over the past 2 1/4 seasons.

Jabrill, do you know why Browns fans couldn’t stand Braylon? Because he couldn’t catch the ball, yet acted like he was the second coming of Jerry Rice. If he would’ve produced, Cleveland T-shirt companies would’ve manufactured no less than 10,000 different types of shirts and a statue would’ve been placed outside FirstEngergy Stadium long ago.

But like you, Edwards didn’t produce, save for one blip on the radar was the 2007 “season of dreams.”

Browns fans are frustrated with you because except for a fumble you recovered against the Steelers in Week 1, you’ve been a ghost out there.

You’ve been moved closer to the line, which is where you were supposed to standout as a playmaker, but you’re making about as much as a difference as you did when Gregg Williams had you playing 30 yards off the ball.

And the punt return game. Try to convince even the most casual Browns’ fan that it’s not the worst return game in football.

Too often you’re running into tackles, or bumping into your own players.

Your most memorable play of the season was calling a fair catch against the Steelers in Week 1 with 15 yards of open field in front of you.

I don’t know what’s going on in your head. I saw you play in college. You were great and I was thrilled the Browns picked you. Maze and Blue. Scarlet and Gray. Forget about it. There’s only two colors I care about on Sunday: Orange and Brown.

It looked like the Browns were getting a dynamic player who not only would help shore up the defense, but provide playmaking abilities with the ball in his hands.

Now you’ve set yourself up for big-time failure.

Ask Edwards how his career trended after he accused fans of playing the Michigan bias. Injuries played a role in his eventual retirement, but it wasn’t long before Eric Mangini took over that he traded away Braylon to the Jets.

Fans bash players when they don’t perform, and the anti-Michigan sentiment will surely increase now that you’ve brought it up.

Unless of course, you start balling out. Then you’ll just be a great Cleveland Brown, because that’s all the fans really want.